Genre Conventions and Reader Expectations

We are just trucking through our Grow an Author series–a series where we hope to show you that when you write a novel, you’re not just writing a book, you’re growing into a author. 

If you’ve missed a few Fridays, here are my February links to catch you up.

Now that we’ve spent oodles of time focusing on what I look for when I’m discovery writing my early scenes, I want to talk to you about genre conventions and reader expectations.

You may have thought about this before setting out to pen your novel, but discovery writers (read: pantsers), like myself, are notorious for neglecting to consider this aspect of noveling early in the process. I hear questions like this one here a lot (in fact, I’ve asked it myself):

“So . . . uh . . . my book has angels and demons and people, but, like, the people don’t fall in love with the angels or the demons . . . so . . . but also there is romance . . . what genre would YOU say that is?”

Ever had this moment? It’s like we’re begging someone to define our story for us, a responsibility we should routinely shoulder as part of our writing process. I should clarify: you only need to worry about genre conventions if you’re hoping to have your book published. If you’re just writing for you, write, be free. Do it however you want. But if you’re hoping your book will end up on a store shelf somewhere, you need to consider where it would be shelved and what readers who buy that type of book will be expecting.

There is nothing, NOTHING, quite so miserable as selecting a book from a shelf marked ‘Mystery’, taking it home, and finding out there isn’t a mystery to solve at all. 

As a reader, I expect books in the ‘Mystery’ section to contain certain things. I’m hoping for a mystery and some sort of detective. A guilty party and plenty of red herrings to distract both me and the detective from discovering who it is too quickly. There should be plenty of twists and turns and, at the end, I expect the mystery to be solved.

Every genre (category) has its own expectations. Here’s a list of the main genres (yes, I’ll miss a few) you’ll find shelves for in major booksellers. I’ve noted several of the conventions that are typical of each group:

-A love story is central

-Plot focuses on the two people falling in love

-Traditional romance: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back

-Happy endings are expected

The ‘Romance’ genre is the most popular genre and has more subgenres than we can reasonably name. Some of them include historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, fantasy romance, paranormal romance. Truly, the list could go on and on. 

The traditional genre is so popular and the reading audience so defined that some publishers have very strict guidelines for submissions. So strict it could be called formulaic. But these publishers have learned precisely what their readers want and if you’re wanting to publish with them, be sure to look up their guidelines and tips. Such requirements can be as specific as “Main characters must meet before the second page.” If you’re good at following a tried and true formula, consider writing formula romance.

-Features unique, fictional story worlds or alternate versions of worlds we know

-Often set in an era long past where legend and myth play a role

-Features magic systems or mystical power sources

-Magical creatures are commonplace

Subgenres include urban fantasy, epic fantasy, high fantasy, among others.

-An outrageous but plausible setting (maybe future earth, alternate version of earth, outer space, deep ocean)

-Science and technology play a key role (not necessarily science and tech as it currently exists, but a conceivably possible version of it)

-Often explores the consequences of scientific endeavors, inventions, and innovative ideas

Subgenres of science fiction include space opera, first contact, apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic, cyberpunk. And there are many, many more.

-Faith-based fiction, often Christian

This is such a broad generalization for a category, you can imagine the possibilities for subgenres are wide-spreading: inspirational romance, inspirational thriller, inspirational fantasy, and so it goes.

-Intentionally instills fear, fascination, and/or revulsion in readers 

-A battle of good versus evil

-Supernatural or psychological forces are often at work

-Draws on the fears of the reader 

-A mystery to solve (maybe a crime)

-A detective (professional or amateur) or team of detectives

-A responsible party (often a guilty party)

-Suspense

-Red herrings (multiple suspects or distractions to keep you and the detective from solving the case too early)

I chose to categorize ‘Mystery’, ‘Crime’, ‘Suspense’ and ‘Thriller’ novels together. I did that because Barnes and Noble shelves them in the same section. When you walk into their stores, you won’t find a ‘Thriller’ shelf, but you will find several ‘Mystery’ shelves housing all four of these genres. HOWEVER, they are specialized, they each have subgenres, and there are distinct differences. If you suspect you might be writing any one of these four genres, you’ll want to read up on what makes them each unique.

Children’s and Young Adult

-Marked by the target age of the reader

-Distinctions within this broad category: Picture Books (targeting up to age 5), Early Reader (targeting ages 5-7), Chapter Books (targeting ages 7-12), Young Adult (teenagers)

Within the category of ‘Children’s Literature’ you can find nearly every genre of fiction. Most bookstores shelve these books by reader age, but publishers who specialize in this space often excel in specific genres. It’s always good to research those who sell what you write.

Literary Fiction

Some fiction works do not easily fit into a genre and we often classify those books as ‘Literary Fiction’. While category fiction can absolutely provoke deep thought and cause us to examine the world around us in profound ways, ‘Literary Fiction’ is often defined by this feature and does not easily provide an escape from our world. Instead it thrusts our thought life deeper into it. 

I’ve given you a handful of the genres category fiction is divided into. There are others and not every bookstore or publisher defines them in precisely the same way, but it’s important to know what your potential readers expect of you. Part of being an author is taking the necessary steps to learn, understand, and be able to intelligently explain why your novel would be a good fit for a particular publisher or reader. 

And at this point in the writing process, it’s important to understand the expectations. It brings clarity and direction to my writing sessions. I know it will do the same for yours.